5 April 2015

Three hours, three press days

Press days all seem to come at once. It's pretty handy for proper fashion journos, who might spend their working day to-ing and fro-ing from showroom to showroom, surviving each hour on finger food. But for a blogger with a full-time job outside of London, attending press days can be rather a challenge, especially when there are several events squeezed into the same evening. Leave work early, catch the fast train into London, then race the Tube to the first press event, knowing you have perhaps half an hour before you have to head off elsewhere. It doesn't help either to mix up the addresses and walk confidently in the wrong direction.

Despite our confused start, Tazz and I managed to attend three press days in as many hours. Our first port of call was Village, whose Old Street showroom presented AW15 collections by the likes of Tatty Devine, Peter Jensen and Fyodor Golan. My favourite pieces, however, were a very handsome watch collection by Filson, and it came as no surprise to learn these timepieces were made in collaboration with one of my all-time favourite brands, Shinola, for which I professed my love last year.

Our next stop was then Selfridges, for the official launch of
their new headphones destination. With more than five hundred pairs of
headphones in a dedicated corner of the lower ground floor, it's an
audio-junkie's paradise. In true Selfridges style, you'll find all the big brands, including Bose, Sennheiser and Beats by Dre.
And if you really fancy splashing the cash, there's even a sleek
collection of premium designs priced at £1,000 and upwards. But the best
feature of this new department is the connection stations, where you
can plug the headphones into your mp3 player or smartphone and test the
audio quality first-hand.

Finally, a short trip down Regent Street took us to the Ham Yard Hotel and Superdry's AW15 press day. Held in the hotel's private bowling alley, our last event of the evening was a more interactive experience, although Tazz and I did make the most of remaining inactive for fifteen minutes, tucking into tasty sliders on sofas.

I'll admit Superdry weren't a brand I was particularly drawn to in the past. Casualwear emblazoned with slogans and logos wasn't exactly my cup of tea. But since Superdry have stepped into tailoring and smarter styles, I've come to appreciate this British label, enough to even loosen up and have a go with one of their t-shirts. (As if I had ever imagined I would look good in a t-shirt.) Our favourite items from the AW15 collection were the coats and men's jackets; Tazz preferring tailored, while I fancied leathers. Street vs chic - who styled it better?